My friend Arya just sent over a link to the cover-art for the Hostel: Part II DVD release (via: dvdactive). I would like to say I’m surprised, but I knew about this for some time. After being quoted on all the Hostel 2 tv ads and newspaper ads, I received a phone call from Sony a couple weeks after Hostel 2 hit (and subsequently, disappeared from) theaters. They wanted to get permission to use a quote from my review on the box art for the home video release. Makes you wonder if all critics need to give their permission for box art quotes. They originally asked if they could change the wording and combine two sentences from the review, which I was okay with because it didn’t change the intent. It just made for a better pull-quote. But it turns out they used a line pulled directly from my review. Anyways, this is very cool and I’ll be very excited to see my name on one of the dvd shelves at Best Buy. Click on the image to the right to enlarge.

Last week I went to a screening of Hostel: Part II (which I really enjoyed). Eli Roth was in attendance and did a question and answer session following the screening. It was the first time Hostel 2 was screened for the public, so Roth was relieved to see that the audience loved the film. We recorded the Q&A, and are posting it for your enjoyment. Be warned, Roth does talk about some of the film’s plot points and twists. So if you haven’t yet seen the film, you might want to shy away. Also note that their is a brief pause where our recorder stopped for 30 seconds. Luckily we didn’t miss much. Note: This is not an interview. We will return tomorrow with that.

Lionsgate will premiere the first five minutes of Hostel: Part II attached to William Friedkin’s Bug, according to AITH. One of my good friends who has seen the movie (Bug) says it’s much more of a psychological thriller than the horror film it’s being advertised to be. And with the marketing campaign in full force, the buzz on the film is almost non-existent. It doesn’t help that the film is going head to head with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. This last minute move by Lionsgate is interesting (and possibly unprecedented), but not enough to get people to see Bug over Pirates.

Like or hate the series, but you must admit, the creative team behind Hostel 2 have produced some of the best theatrical movie posters of the last year. The new poster is kind of reminiscent of the American Haunting poster, but much cooler if you ask me. Heather Matarazzo, who plays Lorna in the new film, hangs in an uncomfortable position. Click on the image to the right to see it in higher resolution.

The full length movie trailer for Hostel: Part II is now online. Done in the same german voice over which we heard in the teaser, the full length trailer is a very creepy set-up for Eli Roth’s sequel. Although, I must complain that it feels more like a teaser because of its short running time and superimposed type. Check it out below.

Hostel: Part II director Eli Roth revealed a few details and talked about the upcoming film at the Grindhouse junket. Here are the highlights. The full interview will shortly follow.

On the Meaty Hostel 2 Poster:

“I wish I could take any credit for the Hostel 2 poster. That is boar meat, wild boar meat. That is the marketing at Lionsgate that did that. And I thought it was brilliant because the genius of that poster is if that was hanging at the supermarket, you would go “oh, let’s have steak tonight.” But you put it in a movie theater with the words “Hostel 2” and they go “That’s the sickest thing I’ve ever seen.” And it’s all the power of suggestion. And I think that there is obviously comparisons to mostâ€¦ it’s aware that any time people see women in a horror film all these girls are pieces of meat, and literally in Hostel: Part II, that’s all they are. They are the bait. They are the meat. They are the grist for the mill. I thought it was actually a really smart poster. And it’s really really disgusting. I love it.”Read More »

Lionsgate has released yet another new clip from Eli Roth’s Hostel: Part II. The video clip, titled “Beth” follows Lauren German’s character as she attempts to escape the Elite Hunting organization. Check it out the video below.

The teaser poster for Hostel: Part II was removed from many theaters after filmgoers complained about the torn flesh image.

When it was first revealed, we knew immediately that the theatrical poster, which pictured a topless Bijou Philips holding a decapitated head, was too racy to be hung in even the most independent theaters. Well it looks like Lionsgate marketing team went back into the drawing room and came up with a poster which is the best of both worlds. But as often happens, the compromise ruins the original intent. Check out the image, thanks to IGN, to the right. Left click for a bigger version.Hostel: Part II hits theaters on June 8th 2007.